"We knew pretty quick that we had a steal," wide receivers coach Mike Theissen said. "We've been waiting for nine months to get our hands on him."

 

Once glance at Robinette and it's easy to understand the appeal. He stands 6-foot-4 and about 200 pounds with a lean, muscular look. If he were in an NFL camp instead of preseason practice for Air Force, he wouldn't look out of place.

 

As one Falcons assistant put it this summer, "When you see him, you're going to wonder how Air Force got him."

 

His arrival, it turns out, resulted from several factors.

 

First, Robinette's recruiting was hampered by the fact that he played quarterback, and not receiver, for a high school team in Columbus, Ohio, that won just four games his senior season.

 

"He made a bunch of plays, but with him playing a different position it took a lot of projection because we didn't see what he could do as a receiver," Theissen said. "A lot of other schools, they're going to take the sure thing and somebody they've seen do it. Here, we have a chance to project and recruit talent and athleticism and try to develop a skill set, too."

 

Robinette had offers from Army, Bowling Green, Fordham and Ohio, with Rivals.com noting he also had at least some degree of interest from Cincinnati, Michigan State, Penn State, UCLA and West Virginia.

 

As a freshman, Robinette is not yet permitted to talk to the media, per Air Force team rules. However, he explained his decision to the Columbus Dispatch when he signed with Air Force.